Hurricane Melissa Bears Down on Jamaica as Category 5 Storm

3da5hxi}j{16ey27ze8[p2j]_media_dl_1.png Global Disaster Alert and Coordi

Article content

(Bloomberg) — Hurricane Melissa is churning toward Jamaica as the island’s worst-ever storm, with high winds and flooding rains already pummeling coastal areas in the hours before landfall.

Article content

Melissa’s top winds reached 185 miles (298 kilometers) per hour, up from 180 mph earlier Tuesday. It’s a Category 5 storm, the highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. The dangerous storm was about 30 miles southeast of Negril, Jamaica, at the western tip of the island, the US National Hurricane Center said in an update at noon New York time.

Article content

Article content

Article content

If the storm maintains this intensity, it will be the strongest to hit in the Atlantic since Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas also with 185-mph winds, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. 

Article content

Article content

Meteorological Service of Jamaica Director Evan Thompson said the hurricane may make landfall soon. If it maintains its strength, Melissa would be the first confirmed Category 5 storm to hit Jamaica.

Article content

“It will cause catastrophic damage, life-threatening damage. There is very little that can stop a Category 5 hurricane,” Thompson said.

Article content

The hurricane center advised residents to take shelter in the most interior part of their homes, away from windows that could shatter if struck by debris. “You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection,” forecaster Larry Kelly wrote in an update.

Article content

Officials say that more than 6,000 people are now taking refuge in 382 of the 800 shelters that have been opened. There are about 25,000 tourists in the country as well. 

Article content

Buildings where Melissa comes ashore may be completely destroyed, according to the hurricane center.

Article content

Article content

The hurricane is forecast to dump as much as 40 inches (102 centimeters) of rain across parts of Jamaica, and Melissa also threatens to push a wall of water of up to 13 feet into the coastline where it comes ashore. About half of all hurricane deaths come from drowning.

Article content

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a video statement posted on Monday that residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas should be prepared to flee given the high risk of “complete displacement and loss of life.”

Article content

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said about 240,000 people, or 35% of the island’s clients, have lost power, largely in the west. In addition, 26% of mobile networks are now offline.

Article content

The government is hopeful that there will not be serious damage at Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. If all goes as planned, clean up crews will be working Wednesday and the country’s main airport can begin receiving relief flights as soon as Thursday.

Article content

PetroJam has two to three weeks of aviation fuel stored, “so we will be able to accommodate relief flights,” Vaz said.

Article content

The fate of the airport at Montego Bay remains in doubt, as it’s expected to receive at least Category 3 winds. “We know that it could have potentially disabling impact on that airport,” he said.